Cup of Coffee
by heath
Summary: A songfic of Garbage's Cup of Coffee. Later will become a collection of them.


A/N: This is just a one chapter song fic. I was listening to the song Cup of Coffee by Garbage and thought of this fic. Please review and let me know what you think. I'm trying something heavier than my normal stuff, thanks.  
  
Cup Of Coffee  
  
"They told me you don't love me   
Over a cup of coffee."  
  
The twins had begged her to meet them for coffee at the Muggle coffee shop two blocks from the Ministry. She had more than happily obliged, they were always good to hang out with. She blew warm breath onto her hands and rubbed them together. It was cold, even for November. She rounded the corner and spotted the twins immediately sitting in their usual booth. She had introduced them to coffee, and since then they were regulars. She went to the cashier and ordered her usual Tall Decaf, the cashier smiled warmly. She took her cup to the creamer stand and liberal amounts of sugar and cream. She then joined the twins at the table.  
"Hermione!" George said when she looked up. She noticed that he was biting his lip, his nervous gesture. She smiled at him and then looked at Fred was gazing off into space.  
"What's with the urgent meeting guys?" she asked them. They looked at each other for a while. "Well…its not like I've got all year." She heard Fred take a deep, raspy breath.  
"We're not trying to be the bad guys here, 'Mione," he said slowly. "We love you."  
"And we would never do anything to hurt you or be spiteful," George continued.  
"Spit it out," Hermione said, looking between the two of them, very confused. George bit his lip again, Fred began biting his nails. "Is this about Ron? Is he okay?" Ron was her fiancé. They were planning to get married the coming summer. The twins nodded. She looked at them again, this time she could have sworn that Fred was about to cry. "What is it?" she demanded.  
"Today after we got off of work," Fred began. "We went to see Ron."  
"And, we knocked, his Muggle car was there, so we decided to let ourselves in. We just sussed that he was asleep, you know Ron, he's always working bizarre hours," George continued. They were quiet for a minute or so, then words come pouring out of Fred's mouth.  
"He was with Lavender. God, Hermione, I'm so sorry," Fred looked away; his mouth had begun to tremble. There were tears in George's eyes. Anger filled Hermione's body.  
"You lie! You're fucking lying!" she screamed becoming totally irrational. She ran out of the coffee house and knew where she was headed.  
  
  
"And I just have to look away   
A million miles between us   
Planets crash into dust   
I just let it fade away."  
  
  
She looked away. She knew deep down that they hadn't lied and here she was, seeing it for herself. Ron and Lavender, together. She felt two sets of arms pull her out of their apartment; however the vision wouldn't leave her. How had she been so blind? Had they become that distant with each other? She tried to pull away, but the arms wouldn't let her. They dragged her out into the street and into a car.   
She woke up the next morning, or rather afternoon, still in a daze from what had happened. How could this happen? She flashbacked to Ron and Lavender the night before. He hadn't even bothered to say anything, he had seen her, she was sure of that. How could he? Didn't he love her anymore? Why? She had a thousand questions but they all faded away as she fell back into a restless sleep.  
  
  
"I'm walking empty streets   
Hoping we might meet   
I see your car parked on the road   
The light on at your window  
I know for sure that you're home   
And I just have to pass on by."  
  
  
Fred and George had finally let her go home after staying a week at their house. They'd been worried; she surmised that they were afraid she would do something stupid. She put her hands into the pockets of her jeans and kept walking down the street. She was donning Muggle clothing which was a lot warmer than robes. She didn't know exactly where she was headed, but her feet kept moving. It felt good to walk. It let her thoughts run freely, maybe not the best thing right now, since her heart was till fragile, but nonetheless it felt good. She put her long bushy hair up into a pony tail. Ron had always loved her hair like that. She smiled and tried to remember good times. Their first kiss, they were sixth years at Hogwart's. Harry had been jealous of their relationship. They'd left him out so often. If only they'd known that Harry wouldn't be with them for much longer, he had died two days after their graduation. He'd died trying to rid the world of Voldermort, it had worked. She sighed.  
Hermione looked up and immediately recognized the flat in front of her. Ron's place. His car was parked outside, his light was on. He was home, and his bitch would probably be there. She felt the tears well up in her eyes and sat on the curb. When had she lost touch with him? Was it because she was too busy? Was it because Lavender was prettier or better in bed? She put her head in her hands and began to sob. Why had this happened? Why, why why?  
"Fuck you," she spat, looking up at the window. There were two sillioutes pressed close together. "WHY?" she was screaming hysterically. "WHY?"   
  
  
  
"So no, of course, we can't be friends   
Not while I'm still this obsessed   
I guess I always knew the score   
This is how our story ends."  
  
  
She answered the door. Outside of it was a person she hadn't been expecting. It had been a week since the fateful night that she had found her fiancée and his lover. She hadn't spoken to him; she'd walked by his house a few times. Ron was gazing at her from the other side of the threshold, holding a bouquet of flowers. Maybe he wanted her back?   
"Can I come in?" he asked softly. She nodded, holding back the tears and questions that wanted to escape. He sat down at her kitchen table. She hopped on her counter. "I wanted to bring these to you. Hermione, 'Mione, I am so sorry. I never, never, wanted you to find things out the way you did. I want to make peace with you." She looked away. Was he saying he wanted her back? Was she reading too much into this? Possibly, her mind deducted. "So what do you say, can we be friends?" FRIENDS?!, her mind screamed. How could he?  
"Friends," she finally muttered. Didn't he know that her thoughts were filled with him and only him? Didn't he know he was tearing out her heart and stomping on it this very moment? There was no way to be friends, no way. "You want to be friends?" Ron nodded, his face hopeful. She looked at him and began to sob. He walked towards her. "Don't! Just don't touch me! Leave, please, just leave." She heard the door close and she sobbed as she slid off the counter and onto the floor. The realization was hitting her, and hard. They were really over. This wasn't going to be another one of their trifle little fights.  
  
  
  
"I smoke your brand of cigarettes   
And pray that you might give me a call   
I lie around on bed all day just staring at the walls."  
  
  
She took the last puff of her Camel Light. She hadn't started smoking until Ron had come over. She'd found a pack that he'd left there. Once he discovered the wonders of the Muggle world, he had begun almost living like one, he still had a Ministry job, but he basically lived like a Muggle with Wizarding benefits. She emptied out to butts of the ashtray into the trash. Her mum would die of shame if she knew she had started smoking. She went back to her usual position on the bed, staring up at the ceiling. Most of the time she would just lay there and think, think about her and Ron, Ron and Lavender, and everyone in a while when she got depressed she imagined Ron and Lavender dying horrific deaths, but only when she was really depressed.  
She pulled out another cigarette and lit it. She closed her eyes and let her memories take her to her happy place, where Harry wasn't dead and she and Ron were blissfully happy.   
The phone rang, bringing her out of her state. She jumped up and ran and got it. What if it was Ron?  
"Oh, hullo Fred," she said, once she figured out the voice. She knew that he had heard the disappointment in her voice.  
  
  
"Hanging around bars at night wishing I had never been born   
I give myself to anyone who wants to take me home."  
  
  
Fred and George had begged her to start going out more, they were worried about her, she knew. They were the only friends she had left; she didn't want them to worry, especially about her. She took a shot of Vodka in the bar they frequented. The only problem with going out, was that she usually ended up drinking her sorrows away, wishing that she'd never been born. The vodka made her feel powerful, but weak at the same time. She took another from the bartender and drank it quicker than she had the first. The room moved.  
It was time for her to find that someone. It was only two hours before closing time, and going home alone, as drunk as she was, was never a good idea. She ordered another shot and headed across the room. She spotted someone with sandy hair that looked vaguely familiar. He was the one tonight, she was sure. She, slowly, made the way over to where the man was standing.  
"Hermione?" the man asked. She was confused, but then she took a closer look at him. She started to recognize him. It was Seamus Finnegan. She hadn't seen him since graduation.  
"Seamus?" she asked, putting her hand on the closest table, to steady herself.   
"What are you doing here?" he asked. He smiled at her. She smiled back. "I hope your not drowning your sorrows like me." She nodded.   
"Ron's shagging Lavender," she finally managed to say, slurring every word.  
"I know," he replied, taking a shot of the amber liquid he had in his shot glass. "I was dating her." Hermione winced. "Pretty fitting that you and I met up here."  
"Isn't it?" she asked, sitting down. She was far to dizzy, and she knew where the dizziness would take her. It would make her remember everything, just like this conversation. For a second, her vision went black, and then Seamus came back into focus. He kneeled down beside her.   
"Would you like to finish drowning your sorrows at my place?" he asked. Hermione wasn't sure if his tone was out of sympathy or if it was fake, and he wanted to get laid. Either way, she wouldn't be going home alone and currently that was what was important.  
  
  
"So no, of course, we can't be friends   
Not while I still feel like this   
I guess I always knew the score   
This is where our story ends."   
  
  
She hadn't ended up sleeping with Seamus. They'd just stayed up all night, getting pissed, and yelling loudly about their exes. Since then, it had been two weeks, she'd hung out with him four or five times, of course pissed, but at least she was with someone. Fred and George had been glad when she told them she was hanging out with someone else.   
She got up and looked for her cigarettes. Her pack was empty. She sighed and threw on her jacket; she would have to go get more. She didn't feel like Apperating, so she just walked. It was a warmer day out, even if it was almost Christmas. She got to the Petrol station in no time at all, but froze when she entered. Ron was there.  
She tried to sneak into line, but he'd seen her. It was the first time that she'd seen him since the night he'd come over. She plastered a fake smile on her face when he came to talk to her.  
"'Mione," he said. She just nodded, too afraid to say anything, afraid that the excitement of seeing him would be betrayed in her face. "You look, erm, nice." She smiled again.   
"Thanks," she muttered. She got up to the cashier and bought her cigarettes.  
"I thought you said that was a nasty habit," Ron said as she put them in her pocket.  
"I've changed," she replied, softly, still afraid to let any emotion come out in her voice. She looked away.  
"I, erm, want you to know, that, well, if you need anything you can call me," he told her after a few moments of uncomfortable silence. She looked at him amazed. He was still trying this friend bullshit.  
"You broke my heart Ron," she spat, bitterly. "Do I need to remind you? And must you keep pestering me with this bullshit?"  
"It's not bullshit. I've been a prat, I know that," he replied. "Why won't you forgive me? I'm sorry, 'Mione, but we weren't working."   
Before she knew what she was saying, the words fell out of her mouth. "Because, I still love you." She left. She was sure that Ron was still standing there with his mouth hung wide open.  
  
  
"You left behind some clothes   
My pearly summer sores   
And I pick them off the floor."  
  
  
She sat in the train wreck of her bedroom. She'd come home and gone ballistic. She couldn't believe that she'd actually said that to him. Why? Was she stupid? Apparently so.  
There were clothes everywhere, she'd emptied all her drawers, knocked things off of shelves, thrown a fit. She began to sob and picked up a T-Shirt to wipe away her tears. As soon as she brought it to her face she knew that it was his. It still smelled like him. She sobbed harder.  
  
  
"My friends all say they're worried   
I'm looking far too skinny   
I stop returning all their calls."  
  
  
It was one am and she'd decided on a late night stroll. She dared not to go out during the day, she looked awful. That and she hadn't returned any of her friends' phone calls in over two weeks, and hadn't gone out to see them in over a month. She didn't want them to see her like this, that and she just wanted to be home. She hadn't even been to a bar since the night she'd met Seamus there.  
She pulled her hair back off of her face, it was rather windy. She turned the corner to head deeper into London, but there was someone, a lot larger than her in the path.  
"'Mione?" the person asked. She looked up into the blue eyes of Fred Weasley, they were full of concern. She tried to walk past him, but he grabbed her arm. "We've been worried sick about you. You haven't called us in ages."  
"I've been busy," she muttered.  
"What hanging out at bars? Not going to work? Is that what you've been busy doing?" Fred spat, she'd never heard him talk like this. "Seamus called and told us about meeting you at that bar. He says you haven't returned his calls either. Do you know how worried we've been? I understand you have a broken heart, but you're wallowing in your own self-pity!" She just looked at him. Even though his tone was angry, there was a sadness and concern hidden deep in his eyes. "Ron also told us about, erm, your meeting. That got us even more worried." She nodded and tried to smile, but she couldn't.  
"I'm sorry Fred," she said softly. A cold breeze blew, and she pulled her coat close, she was freezing. Fred looked at her and then gave her a horrified look.  
"You've not been eating!" he said. He dragged her down the street. "You're coming home with me."  
  
"And no, of course, we can't be friends   
Not while I'm still so obsessed   
I want to ask where I went wrong   
But don't say anything at all."  
  
  
She sat in the living room of the Weasley twins' flat the next morning. She was wearing a pair of George's flannel pants, which were a few sizes too big. She had rolled down the tops so that they would stay on. Much to their satisfaction, she'd eaten four scrambled eggs, three pieces of bacon, and two pieces of toast. It wasn't that she had meant to starve herself, she'd just forgotten to eat.  
Seamus sat across from her, as soon as she and Fred had arrived, George had insisted on calling Seamus, knowing that he would want to talk to her.   
There was a knock on the door and she looked at Seamus confused. She heard voices at the door and she immediately recognized both of the new voices, Ron and Lavender had arrived for a little visit. She knew that she was pale, and she looked to see that Seamus had as well.  
"Now is REALLY not the time," she heard George say.  
"Don't tell me that you guys BOTH have girls over," she heard Ron tease.  
"Probably the Patil twins," she heard Lavender say in her high voice. There was laughter from Ron and her. Hermione pushed her nails into the upholstery. Seamus was completely ashen face, and muttering what Hermione thought was 'make them go away'.   
"Would you take the bloody hint and GO," Fred said rather loudly.  
"No," Ron replied. She heard footsteps coming towards the living room and she closed her eyes. She joined Seamus' chant.   
"Oh," she heard Lavender say. She opened her eyes. Lavender and Ron were standing in the doorway to the living room, hand in hand. "Let's go."  
"There's no reason to leave," Ron said, and Hermione thought, with a note of cruelty in his voice. "We're all friends here."   
Hermione felt herself snap.   
"No we're not!" she yelled. She grabbed her purse and headed to the hallway. Seamus was right behind her.  
"Lovely," he muttered. He looked at her and smiled. "Do you want to go get a cup of coffee?"  
  
  
"It took a cup of coffee   
To prove that you don't love me."  
  
  
  
"Disgusting isn't it?" Seamus asked her, once they sat down with their coffee. "How they can waltz in there and pretend that nothing happened." Hermione nodded and smiled. "It's as if they never loved us."  
"You know what Seamus," she began. Seamus looked up at her. "I don't think they ever really did." 


End file.
